The latest Groovegrinder album is available now and it is called The Daily Grind. I have been playing this an awful lot recently, usually several times a day and goes like this…. Track1 “Funky Bone” is a perfect opening track and introduction to their funkaliscious style of feel good rocking R & B which leaves you wanting much more, it is foottappingly feel good song that uplifts and seduces ending with a fun voice box manic giggle. Track 2 “One Hundred Miles” is a story of a man in despairing to be home, rolling along in fine Groovegrinder style once more and as in all of their tunes proving the quality of this band. Track 3 “Lazy Man” downs the tempo into a bluesy ballad that that foot a tappin’ while as on all the songs proving the quality of this band of musicians who work together so sweetly creating a sound so rich, joyful and addictively funky. Track 4 “Pocket Full of Stars” is yet another traditionally grooving R & B style feel good masterpiece with some excellent harmonica work from Jon complimenting his great vocals which top the perfectly rolling backbeat so beautifully laid down by Adam on the drums and Philip plying his collection of basses so well. Ross works the guitar sound so beautifully, all in the Groovegrinder sound is truly ‘alive’ with so much heart and soul. Track 5 “Once Bitten (Twice Shy)” has more of a bluesy feel, the song title tells this and it is a showcase for both Ross and Jon, Philip and Adam provide a rich, sweet treacle like tight & smooth backdrop to the whole Groovegrinder sound. Track 6 “No 3rd Degree” has an intro which is proof to what I have just written, Groovegrinder get back into the funky groove with this number, full of hard-hitting catchy choruses and Grooveriding rythyms. Track 7 “8pm in The Cadders” a seductively Smokey tune that rolls away so dreamily floating along on deep but funky bass rythyms laid down by Philip. Track 8 “Sweet Mama Sugar Cane” keeps the funky beat going strong and brings the tempo back up. As always there are some lovely licks from Ross on this number and Jon has a lot of fun here also, being accompanied by Ross so well on the vocals, as on all the tracks. Lastly, track 9 “Get Anther Round In” closes this fine collection of songs to perfection. Deeply R & B with Jon getting right into the swing with his harmonica and vocal style so finely tuned and worked. An R & B and blues laden masterpiece that completes the album leaving you wishing for more.

I was invited by Groovegrinder to accompany them to a gig of theirs in a venue at a local seaside resort, and gladly accepted the invitation.  Groovegrinder played a great couple of sets lasting the better part of two hours with a short cider and cigarette break in-between. During these two sets Groovegrinder played all the numbers from The Daily Grind along with some tunes from the forthcoming EP available in January 2010. One of these was a tune titled “Yo! You Right”, this is a kickin’and jumpin’ little number, one that really sets the pace going so well. I am looking forwards to its release excitedly. There were a few covers that suited their style and blended perfectly with the set being finely executed, the most notable was “Blackberry” originally by The Black Crowes.

In a nutshell, Groovegrinder really are a great band playing a great set and keeping feel good  R & B and Rock’n’Roll alive in fine fashion while adding their own funky style.  They are keen to add more bookings as they just love to play live, you can contact them through www.myspace.com/groovegrindergg Or www.groovegrinder.co.uk. Or Email groove_grinder@hotmail.co.uk.

Seems to me the last batch of bands I’ve seen have been a then and now type of comparison that I’ve quite enjoyed studying. Seriously, out of the last dozen bands or so, most of them have I’ve seen way back when and then waited at least 10 years to see them again. Motorhead, Kiss, Helix, Headpins, GWAR, Stone Temple Pilots, Our Lady Peace… there’s probably a few more but I think you’ve heard enough already. Well you have to hear about one more. One of my all time favourite top notch acts of all time, Metallica.

Back in 85, my cousin dropped a couple albums on me and said I must try these out. They were “Kill em All” and “Ride the Lightning”. 3 notes into “Hit the Lights” and I knew I had just found the band of all bands. The most awesome sounding heavy metal unit that combined great lyrics with some totally original riffing, instrumentals and leads that would bring any musician to their knees.

I made it a point to promote this new band wherever I possibly could. I just wanted to share the awesomeness that was Metallica with everyone. I was constantly making compilation tapes of their stuff and dropping them on people. I made sure I had at least one Metallica tape on me at all times and would thrust it into the gaping maw of any cassette tape player I could find.

Those Northern BCer’s just weren’t ready for it yet though. Still firmly grasped by the claws of Judas Priest, AC/DC, Iron Maiden and the other “mainstream” metal of the time, these guys just couldn’t handle the “THRASH” metal that Metallica was pimping out. It wasn’t until Ozzy took Metallica on tour that these guys finally started to take notice. Funny though, the guys I hung out with all the time were all musicians, and we all knew Metallica was the shit. Listening deep past the heaviness revealed a talent, rawness and attitude that no other band was sporting at the time.

They showed a lotta personality and never took anything too seriously with hilarious photo shoots by the infamous Ross Halfin depicting the band on a lighter side with his instantly identifiable fish-eye lens shots of the band goofing around and having fun. Then the shit hit the fan.

Two things happened that changed the band forever. Two crucial pieces of that old unit died. For one and on the humanity level of it all, by far the worst of the two occurrences, was the death of the incredibly talented, one of a kind, Cliff Burton. When he was crushed by a tour bus accident in Sweden, Metallica never looked, sounded or felt the same. It’s almost as if the band lost it’s sense of humour. Maybe not all of it, but a good chunk flew right out the door and Metallica became a much more serious band.

Gone was a truly gifted bass man and an undeniable grounding influence on the band but before that happened, Metallica lost their sound. That one of a kind sound that no other band could imitate. Not even themselves. James had a Marshall tube amp that had it’s own sound and a character of it’s own. The first two albums were recorded with this amp in the studio to get that distinctive guitar sound that NOBODY could duplicate and EVERYBODY tried.

Just listen to any song on “Kill em All” then any song from “Ride the Lightning” and then slap on “Master of Puppets” and the difference will punch you right in the nuts if it hasn’t already. Getting over the death of an original member and the loss of the old sound, would kill a lesser band but Metallica rose above the whole thing and propelled itself into a whole new level of confidence and power that took the band to the highest heights of achievement in the music business only dreamt about by most musicians.

I finally got to see the guys in 1989 on the “Justice For All…” tour with Queensryche and Dokken opening. The show was at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton and we were totally disgusted that every time we went to light up a smoke, a security guard was on our asses threatening to kick us out. This, of course, meant we couldn’t fire up a joint and thoroughly enjoy the experience and it really took the wind out of our sails and pretty well ruined what was supposed to be the concert of all concerts for me.

Fast forward, 20 years later, waiting in a small area just outside of centre stage with a photo pass and some great equipment that I actually know how to use, waiting to see Metallica once again. I know most of their catalogue inside and out. I can jam most of the tunes on the drums and I know more than a few of their lyrics so singing along is not a problem.

So what’s a guy supposed to do when he’s standing in front of one of his all time faves with only 3 songs to shoot/rock out? ONLY 3 songs. In Metallica’s world that’s about 45 minutes! As much as I just wanted to rock out, I knew I had a job to do in getting as many great shots as I possibly could before going up to the rafters to review the show.

The band put on a heavy rotation of their latest album “Death Magnetic” with a showing of 6 of the 10 tunes the album has to offer. And they’re great tunes too. Every one of them. One thing for sure that Metallica is still as strong as ever is the songwriting. Most bands die out and their creativity loses it’s sting after a while but Metallica’s has always been there. They’ve always pulled something outta the bag for every album they’ve ever done. I don’t care what anyone says about any of their albums, they’re all incredible in their own way and if Death Magnetic is any indication, it’s fuckin far from over.

Personally my faves were the oldies. From those first two albums. It was so cool hearing “Fight Fire With Fire” and “Whiplash”… oldies that you’d think couldn’t or wouldn’t even be played these days. “One” totally brought the place to it’s knees with the incredible pyro show and the crescendo of the song building to the frenzied ending that still stands as one of their finest to this day. “Sad But True” reminded us that Metallica is as heavy as they come. That drop D tuning has a way of bringing a whole new meaning to the word heavy.

The band was tighter than a Scotsman. On numerous occasions I saw the guys smiling their asses off genuinely showing they were having a great time out there. The guys at times interacted onstage like brothers. Robert Trujilo, bassist, at one point stomped over to Lars Ulrich on drums and rubbed his bald forehead while they both laughed. Trujilo feels like he should have been in the band from the very beginning, and knowing what I think of Cliff Burton that is saying A LOT. That’s not to knock Newsted either, but the ex Suicidal Tendencies bassist has really found a home with the best metal band of all time.

James n Lars squared off face to face rocking out, smiling and enjoying themselves. This notorious duo who love and hate each other like only brothers do. Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, the quiet little brother of the band spent most of his time basking in the cheers of his dedicated fans, smiling and rocking out, all the while slicing us apart with his incredible abilities and talent on lead guitar.

For any metal fan who has or hasn’t seen Metallica, this is a tour you just can’t miss. Opener, Lamb of God is a worthy unit to fire up the ceremonies. Metallica hasn’t jacked the prices out of this world so there’s no excuse why anybody can’t go and see them. All the elements are there, now all you need to do is plug yourself in and just go for it.

Mike Forbes
Libra Photography
Rebel Reviewer Dot Com

As of today (26/10/09) it is eighteen days until Rock Out has its first gig at the Cheese and Grain Hall in Frome, Somerset UK on Friday the 13th of November this year. I must admit to being anxious and a bit nervous about the whole thing. So much has gone into it since December/January 2008/9 when I had the dream which inspired the whole thing alongside so much inspiration from bands and friends of mine on various networking sites. However I am confident that this project will be a great success and achieve its goal to raise funds for Cancer Research UK while providing an additional promotional platform for so many brilliant and inspirational independent/unsigned bands and artists who I have befriended while networking and working here at www.rockandrollreport.com as Intense Nick (UK Correspondent).

Full details and a great many ‘free’ downloads from many willing and supportive bandmates are available at the recently made Rock Out website, www.inrockout.com, do please take a look at this and enjoy the generosity of the bands. All that is asked is that you show appreciation by using the ‘Donate’ button on the ‘favour for a Favour’ page, but this is not essential, just highly useful and the best way to show appreciation for the involved bands generosity and to show support for the project. This set up is likely to change very soon to ramp up the incentive to donate.

The more support this project gets, the more likely it is to carry on, and genuinely and sincerely hope that it does, there are just so many great bands involved now, even if they are just awaiting patiently for the project to stage them.

Notable bands include the three who are to perform at Rock Out 1, I AM BODHi, Le Cul and Janey Summer, who is top of the bill. Also the Buffalo Kings who sadly had to withdraw from the first set due to other unavoidable commitments. Le Cul deserve a special mention as they are traveling all of way from Copenhagen to the west of England to play for the cause.

Other bands who deserve a big mention here are Johnfish Sparkle, who has offered to travel from Italy to perform for the cause, Anubis from the Midlands UK as do the Fores and Beyond Redemption. Four Year Beard, from New Jersey, has been so inspirational and generous.

I thank all the bands involved along with everybody who has helped to support and promote this event and its very worthy cause, Cancer Research UK. Rock Out is registered there,

Registration no. 400268521

Thanks,

Intense Nick (Nick Giles)

Twelve years after I entered Varsity Arena in Toronto to catch the spectacle that was Marilyn Manson, I finally found myself in a position to take in his show once again and see how things have, or haven’t, changed.

One thing that definitely changed was the fact that the Christians were nowhere to be found this time around. Twelve years ago, Manson was the Antichrist so they lined up parallel to us heathens all the way down the other side of the street and shouted bible verses and condemned us all to hell.

Now my idea of Christianity is such that you can sum it up with one question to prove or disprove someone “acting” in a Christian like manner. That question is, “What would Jesus have done?” For some reason I just can’t picture Jesus standing across the road from a pile of freaks screaming at them to go home or forever burn in the fiery depths of hell.

I had just scored free tix to go and shoot some pics of Mr. Manson and company and I didn’t even really know or fully understand what he was all about. To me, Manson was just the over amped inflated version of Alice Cooper. Alice could scare you with images of spiders n snakes back in the 70’s but these days, a guy’s gotta really go out on a limb to freak someone out.

Sure some of Manson’s show back then was a little over the top. Slicing himself up with a broken bottle, if he actually did that, was pretty wild. But when he tore up the bible and threw it all over the place, I thought that was kinda bad but really I think he was just making a point that it’s only a story.

Hell, even Tony Iommi punched Ozzy Osbourne in the nose for doing that one time. So one has to look at the evil men that comprised Black Sabbath and re-evaluate. Would they REALLY be devil worshipers if one of them actually chastised another for doing such a hedonistic thing?

So it proves to me again that this supposed EVIL guy/band is really just a normal guy/bunch of guys who are cashing in on controversy and fear. What’s the matter with that? Our fuckin government does that to us every day! N1H1 anybody?

So really when you look at all the horridly evil bands like Slayer, Rob Zombie, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Kiss (Knights In Satan’s Service) and Manson himself, one must wonder if they’re all in the same boat.

We KNOW the guys from Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden are about as far from devil worshipers as you can get. Sure they all have songs about Satan in some form or other, and album covers which can be construed as Satanic or just ARE Satanic, but if you’ve ever seen “Family Jewels” or “the Osbournes” on their shows, you’d realize they’re just fuckin people.

But what about a guy like Marilyn Manson? I’m of the opinion that a lot of the shit floating around about Marilyn Manson is more of a made up story to perpetuate a negative interest amongst the media and have something “bad” to talk about even in the Entertainment section.

Or maybe Manson IS into Satan worshiping and sacrificing virgins. One may never know. I read his autobiography, “Long Road Out of Hell” and I really didn’t see anything other than his visits with Anton LeVey that pointed to the guy being a devil worshiper.

On the show “Bowling for Columbine”, Manson truly seemed like the only guy who made any sense with his interview as he hit the nail squarely on the head of a few points he was asked about. And HE was the one they tried to blame it all on.

It’s just my opinion but this is what I think Marilyn Manson really stands for. To me, he is the embodiment of a million improperly answered and unanswered questions. This is just scratching the surface of the barrel of questions but I don’t wanna get right down n dirty with em all.

Why is the speed limit only 60k on that 3 lane stretch of highway? Why do I have to pay $75 for a fuckin STICKER every year to prove that my car is STILL mine? Why is our justice system not based on right and wrong but who hires the better Liar? Why is money more important than our environment? Why would a company be forced to recall and destroy a huge shipment of the most energy efficient vehicle ever made? Why is our medical system geared towards supporting the drug companies as opposed to natural alternatives which actually treat the problem, not the symptom?

You get the point. Now take all the answers, and unanswers and what do you get? One pissed off S.O.B. asking WHY? And that S.O.B. is Marilyn Manson. Add a soundtrack to the most pissed off fucker on earth and it’s gonna sound something like every one of Marilyn Manson’s albums.

Satan worshiper or not, I say he’s just a dude who wants some real answers to some real questions instead of the propaganda drivel we’re spoon fed through the media every day. Enough of my shit… now on with the show!!

I was real happy to see Die Mannequin in the opening slot all the way across Canada as I hope it gives them the exposure they need to continue their climb to the top which I truly believe will happen.

Manson’s people allowed us ONE song to shoot from the pit, no flash of course. Albeit the song was an epic 6 minute beast “We’re From America” which afforded anyone with a 5 frame/second or more camera to knock off a jillion photos in search of the perfect pic to sum up the evening. It still would have been nice to get another song or two in as the lighting was pretty bad and I wasn’t the only one whining about it.

So the one thing I was really glad that didn’t change at all, was the fact that Marilyn Manson, probably the most controversial person the rock world has ever seen, is still good at helping you just forget about all your damn problems and just have a good time to some great music. Yes I said GREAT music. I have been a huge fan since Antichrist Superstar and every time he pulls one of those tunes out of the bag, it just takes me back and makes me smile.

Though the set was short and sweet due to a case of “throat AIDS” as Manson termed it, he still put out a decent hour and 10 minutes of good hard rock n roll. There were no huge props, no major explosions, no blood, no stilts and no pulpit but the music was there. And I still say to this day, no matter how much controversy, no matter how many schoolyard killings and suicides and all that negative shit, Manson get’s blamed for, if it wasn’t for the kick ass, catchy and entertaining music, he wouldn’t be in the position he is today.

Mike Forbes
Rebel Reviewer.Com

Classic Albums Live is a Toronto-based touring outfit consisting of 40 professional musicians w

Under the leadership of producer Craig Martin, the series began in 2003 and has grown from once-a-month shows at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto to sold out venues across the USA. With standing ovations in Florida, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New Jersey CAL has not slowed down playing venues all over Ontario and Eastern Canada. But Torontonians haven’t seen a performance held in the heart of downtown since the series parted ways with the Phoenix at the end of August last year.

To the delight of followers of the series, a press release issued in May announced that CAL will perform at Massey Hall for the very first time on Sept 26, 2009. The performance will honour the 40^th anniversary release of the Beatles Abbey Road when Classic Albums Live performs the entire record with a 17-piece band.

Mr Martin joins me now to discuss this milestone in the series

Many of the CAL alumni grew up listening to the albums you cover.  Many of the alumni have seen the original artists perform at venues like Massey Hall.  With the upcoming CAL show on Sept 26, was there any idea when you started the series that CAL would be performing on the Massey Hall stage only 6 years in?

Yes we did, right from the get-go, we really did.  I know that sounds boastful but I remember Mike Daley spoke about it.  And Doug Inglis and I had conversations about it.  And my friend Desmond (Leahy) and I had long conversations about it back before I started CAL. Many of us thought the series was a sound idea and, if done properly, would translate well to the Massey Hall stage.  I remember one conversation with Des where we were talking about the age group of current musicians, like Paul McCartney, members of Pink Floyd or the Zeppelin dudes, and with no disrespect intended, wondered how long they’d have the ability to play their own music.  We want the original artists to hand us the torch to play their music in not only places like Massey Hall, but the Air Canada Centre and in faraway places like China.  We all dreamed real big right from the very start.  Not just me, but the musicians got it.

Speaking of Paul McCartney, in the film All Together Now there’s a scene where it’s announced Sir Paul will visit the set during the rehearsals of Cirque de Soleil.  The cast are nervous that McCartney won’t like what they’re doing with his music. Would having an original artist like McCartney come out to see CAL perform Abbey Road at Massey Hall also be something you dreamed about from the start?

Yes absolutely.  That’s part of the dream.  I’ve never written these guys directly because I think it would be crass to do so.  I want them to find out about us by word of mouth.  I don’t want to be another lost email.  I want them to come to us.  And again, that’s not meant to be boastful.  I just think it’s a natural organic way that this should happen.

And it’s possible, isn’t it?  That Paul could come to you?

Yes it is possible.  Musicians like him still go out.  My friend Des goes to a pub in England and finds David Gilmour standing in the corner playing, and nobody says boo to him.

Do you think the CAL alumni would be up to the pressure knowing Paul McCartney was in the house watching CAL’s 40^th anniversary recital of Abbey Road?

Absolutely and nothing would change really, if Paul was there.  It would just make it more exciting.  Marty (Morin) may speed up toward the end of I Want You (She’s so Heavy).   Stuff like that.  But McCartney should come out.  All the original cats should come out to see us carry on with their music.  To see us treat their music with respect.

The age range of people attending your shows would be similar in range to fans attending McCartney’s shows.  Or concerts by Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, where older audiences are still attending shows and bringing their children and their grandchildren.  Do you find this to be true with the CAL demographic?

Yes we’re seeing that across the board.  Well, you don’t really see it in Toronto.  The Phoenix Concert Theatre is not a club designed for families, but all the other theatres we play, like the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts and St Catharines and down east, you’ll see lots of families and kids in the audience.  And that’s important.  I don’t know if it’s a part of your questions, but it’s something I want to talk about.  In that the kids are hip to what’s going on these days. They all have their pop stars like every generation, pop stars that they love, but kids are seeking out the good stuff too.  My son’s iPod list is AC/DC, Aerosmith, and The Beatles.

But wouldn’t that be your direct influence on your son?

Yes, but he’s also got Weezer in it and American Idiot.  So he’s also thinking for himself, which is cool.

And I guess you learn from him as well?

Yes, but I don’t really influence him.  He finds this stuff by himself.  He’s able to hear songs and say, “That’s crap.  This is just mindless fluff.” I mean, he doesn’t really say “mindless fluff” but he understands it for what it is.  And a lot of kids do.  They understand the hard sell, so consequently they’re seeking out all this music that was made before videos, when you had to use your imagination. I always talk about music made when you had to use your imagination.

So you think kids are smarter than we think?

Yes, and we see a lot of them at our shows.  It’s cool.

In our parents and grandparents day, with few if any families owning a television set, let alone a computer, social activities were experienced through live bands at community dance halls.  Today, more and more fans are downloading music off the internet and sharing on social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.  Unlike the dance halls or the rock arenas where we enjoyed live music together, these internet sites seem to isolate us from direct human contact.  Do you think live music will survive at some level like it has, as a means of bringing folks and communities together?

Community dance halls, yes, that’s where my own parents met.  I think the arena bands are going away.  You won’t see as many artists going into the ACC as you once saw.   We’re already seeing that now.  I think stadium rock is done.  There’ll be a few to fly the flag but I think it’s going to be pretty much like you said.  Like our parent’s generation, community based.  There seems to be a real communal vibe right now.  This recession seems to have re-set everybody to what’s important.   We’re buying locally and we’re smartening up in some ways.

But don’t you find a lack of face to face communication?  People are communicating on line, having typed conversations on Facebook, and sharing music on line.  The world wide web and computers, just like video games and television sets before it, seem to keep folks at home, separated physically from others in the community.

These are ethical and sociological questions that I don’t really know anything about.  But I’ll tell you this, people will always go see live music and people will always congregate together.  They may add another Twitter type of thing every other day but people will still go out together.  I believe all these technological things just give us more opportunities.  We’re able to wrap things up quicker and consequently have more time to spend with other humans.  I don’t think the way we use technology will have any impact on live music at all.  People will communicate on line and then go rock out at a concert together.  People will always get together.  I know a little something about that.

You’re a musician but primarily a producer for the series.  Your passion for this music and your ability to put shows together so successfully brings to mind Bill Graham, rock impresario.  Is he a role model for you?

It’s funny you should bring him up.  I’m reading a book about him right now for the second time.  Like him, I’ve done my share of yelling and screaming.  His story is a really good one.  A story you can learn from.  He was a business man like me, but I’m also pretty connected to the music and I get involved with the music.   We don’t really do the same job, he and I, but I like the comparison (laughs).

He’s not a musician either, but you two are very similar.

Yes, right on, good.  I see the comparison and I like it.  I’ll do everything to encourage that.  I did model myself after him.  My favourite thing about Graham is you see him at something like Live Aid (1985) sweeping up the stages.  You see him out there in these brown boots on the stage in between the bands.  And he’s doing this himself during the biggest show in the history of the world, next to Woodstock.  Watching Bill Graham sweep the stage himself made me think yes, that’s what you gotta do.  I never lost sight of that.  There’s nothing you can’t do.  Sweep the stage, get water, make coffee, tune the guitars, and hire the right band.

A few decades ago, cover bands weren’t taken all that seriously.  Cover bands were performed by friends of ours as a weekend hobby.  But cover bands today are touring most of the year, charging as much for a ticket as some of the original acts.  Not only do bands like RAIN sell out venues across North America performing Beatles music, but bands like Cheap Trick got together earlier this year to perform the entire Sgt Pepper record in Las Vegas.  Phish’s current tour had polls running for fans to guess which album they’d cover in its entirety at their Festival 8 shows.  What is it with cover bands and bands that cover classic albums that remains this popular?  And with competition like this, does it keep CAL on their toes honouring the music with a perfect note for note recital?

Well no, we’re nothing like these bands to be honest with you.  I mean, a lot of them have taken my idea.  I mean, if I wasn’t the first to come up with the idea, I’m certainly the first to bring performing albums in their entirety, to the forefront.  There may have been pockets of bands doing similar things before me like The Music Box, who I didn’t realize were doing the whole Music Box album until much later when I was researching Genesis.  But I’m the first one to do what we’re doing now.  But we still have nothing in common with these bands anyway.  We have more in common with orchestras, like the TSO, the Boston Pops and the London Philharmonic.  Those are the bands we have the most in common with.  It’s the orchestras that do exact recitals, the same as we do.  They’re the ones that keep us on our toes.  We blow these other bands out of the water.  Line ‘em up and we’ll blow them straight out of the water.  We’ll show you who the real players are.  We’re not a tribute band.  We don’t dress up.

But CAL is a cover band.

The same as the TSO, baby.  And like the London Philharmonic.

What about old school cover bands, like you yourself played with in bars around Scarborough back in the day?

They were good times.  Those were really good times.  I mean, we went out and played six nights a week.  We’d have Sundays off and spend them driving to our next gig.  We played non-stop for fifty bucks a week.  It was a great life but that was 1980.  I think the days of the old cover bands, the glory days anyway, are long gone.

But cover bands still seem popular.

Cover bands aren’t that popular.  Their grafts will go up a little bit, but they’re not doing the numbers like they use to.

All the same, they weren’t playing Massey Hall back in 1980 either.

None of them will be playing Massey Hall now.  Massey Hall is ours.  Massey Hall won’t be booking any of those other bands, which is cool.

So you’re telling me CAL has exclusivity?

Kind of, yes.  It’s cool.  And it’s heavy.

Last year CAL strayed from classic rock to cover classic pop.  With the successful recitals of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Prince’s Purple Rain, do you think you will cover more classic albums outside of the rock world and if so, which ones?

We’ll definitely go back to Michael Jackson this year, big time.  But we’re only doing it in the States.  Our Canadian market isn’t biting.  In the States they’re asking for the Thriller show.  Their audiences want to come out and remember Jackson in a cool way.  So we’re getting a lot of work from that.  We’re also launching a Woodstock show (also celebrating a 40^th anniversary this year) and it’s been a tough one because when you think about it, you have the Woodstock 1 album and the Woodstock 2 album and then there’s the movie, and none of these three things are the same.  And now there’s the new re-released movie with extra footage.  So you’ve got a total of something like 8 hours to choose from and we clearly can’t do an eight hour show.  I mean we could, but we won’t.  I have to do revisionist history, I think.  I’m going to take the best bits and put them together for a nice cohesive two hour show along with the announcements.  It’s going to be a departure for us, and I’m concerned about that because it is different from what we regularly do.

It would be different because there’ll be surprises.

Yes, there’ll be surprises and the key may possibly be in changing the set list from town to town. It might be something we do for a tour.  My agent here in Canada doesn’t like it because it takes us away from what we’re known for, and he’s exactly right. He’s very Canadian and likes to say, “We know how this works, so let’s keep with that.”  Whereas my American agent is very American and will say, “Let’s go, let’s make some money, and let’s get it out there. If these guys want it, let’s give it to them.  We’ll fly it up the flagpole.”  It’s a very strange dynamic between the two of them.  But it’s interesting and indicative of their respective countries.

But wait, Woodstock is still classic rock.  I’m talking about classic pop.

I want to do Radiohead’s OK Computer again.  No one else wants to do it.  But I do.

But that’s not pop either.  I’m talking pop.

Michael Jackson for now, but it may be fun to do the Prince album again.

What about Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?  Weren’t they in the running?

We’ll see what happens but that’s a new crowd and another left turn for our regular crowd.  We learned with the Michael Jackson and Prince shows here in Toronto that our regular crowd wouldn’t make the jump for either of them, which I thought was crazy.  I mean, you didn’t even go.  Our crowd didn’t think they’d be into these records.  Yet they’re both incredible works of music.  Both are classic albums that hold their own against Zep IV and Dark Side of the Moon.  Michael Jackson’s album is Quincy Jones and he’s a motherfucker, man.  I mean, it was like going back to school learning Thriller.  And the Purple Rain album?  Prince thinks like nobody else.

It’s imperative to have younger fans coming to the shows to keep the music alive.  But as the man behind CAL’s marketing and who decides the players for each CAL band, is it difficult to market this music to younger fans? And is it difficult to keep the CAL alumni pool fresh with young musicians who probably never grew up with this music, but who have a desire to play it?

Good question.  Finding the right musicians is hard.  I’d like to see some younger musicians come in, and I know they’re out there.  But we got it to a point now where it’s my duty to keep the guys we already have, employed.  I got a core of about 35 musicians who’ve been with me from the get-go.  We respect each other.  There’s a great deal of respect between us, so just to bring in a younger musician to take their gig would be a big deal.  But I do want younger musicians, so I’m in a quandary.  It’s a line I’ve got to ride.  I’m hoping to get more shows to start a whole other branch where I can use other musicians and start getting a bigger pool, but I don’t want to jump the gun or shoot myself in the foot.  The most important thing is keeping the quality of it.  So you see the quandary I’m in.  As for the first part of your question, it is very difficult to market because we take so much explaining.  It’s like a run on sentence, not a tight little sound byte.  But what we got going for us is people will come to the show out of curiosity or confusion.  We’ve had people show up thinking we’re going to play the record to a light show.  But what happens after they see us is they talk about it.  They talk about it, just like we do.  And explain it to other people.

Are there young people coming to your shows?

Young, old, tall, small and skinny.  All kinds, really.  A great demographic of society.  But I wish we got more black people out.

James Brown couldn’t get many black people out in his later years.  And I remember Tracey Chapman during her tour with Amnesty Int’l, making the comment, “where’s my people?”  Black people don’t come out in numbers for these kinds of shows.  I’m not sure why but  I assume they’re with the hip hop crowd and rap audiences.  But the music you’re playing wouldn’t necessarily appeal to the black community anyway, would it?

Well, it’s soul music, right?  It’s all music from the soul.

But it’s not soul music.  If you were playing soul music, you’d be performing classic records by James Brown, Aretha Franklin or Sly and the Family Stone.

We’ll be doing Sly and the Family Stone as part of the Woodstock show.  But I think all the records we do have so much fucking soul.  It’s all soul music to me.

Was there not a noticeable black component at your Michael Jackson and Prince shows?

Not so much at the Michael Jackson show, but we did see it at the Prince show.  I would like to see the same black people come out for our Fleetwood Mac shows, you know?  And our Led Zeppelin shows.  I want everybody coming all the time.  That’s my goal, and to get the brothers out.

According to the dates posted on your website, CAL has dates in Eastern Canada and all across North America.  But there doesn’t seem to be any dates for Western Canada.  Will CAL eventually play Vancouver or Calgary?  And do you foresee at some point taking CAL to venues in European cities?

We’re going to the province of Alberta.  We’re going to do four or five shows there, every three or four months.  We’ve been there before to put our feet in the water.  But frankly, it’s expensive to do business out west.  We want to, but again, what we do takes a lot of explaining.  So we have to make sure we have all the right people in place before I invest money in it.  I need to build it slow to do it properly.  But there is a plan to turn Alberta into a solid tour base.  The same way we got it going on down east.  We have played Vancouver in the past.  We’ve been to the Commodore.  It was tough there man, they don’t give you anything.  It costs a lot of money to go over the Rockies.  We did Dark Side of the Moon there and it did very well.  They papered the room.  They gave tickets away to everybody.  People’s jaws hit the ground, and they went nuts.  We were asked to come back but I lost money.  I don’t want to lose money. I don’t like losing money.  It’s not good for me, the musicians or anything.

So what’s the real difference between the east coast and the west coast?

My agent.  He’s got real relationships on the east coast.  And now the agency he’s with has relationships on the west coast, so that’s going to help.  We’re also working on South Africa for next summer.  Yes, we’re going to South Africa next summer.  I also want to do England.  But the best way to tour England is to take all our guitars, drums, amps and put them in a van and ship the van over.  And then Johnny B, our tour manager can fly to England, pick up the van with all our shit and pick us up too, and off we go.  I figure it’ll be cheaper than renting all that stuff from over there.   Again, with England you’re going to blow money out your pockets.  Everywhere you go in England, you can watch the money go firing out.  So, I’ll wait a bit.  We’ll get there eventually.

South Africa sounds very exciting.  But I guess you can’t really go by the old models in rock and roll history when it comes to touring.  Things change.

We run into problems with other languages.  We were finally making some roads into Quebec, but it breaks down to language.  I mean, there’s a language barrier.  Classic Albums what?  That kind of thing.

1969 was a big year in music history and many events like Woodstock and the anniversary of Abbey Road will be marked with celebrations this year.   If CAL is still around to celebrate their own 40^th anniversary, do you think any original music being produced today will be worthy of a note for note, cut for cut recital in the year 2049?

American Idiot by Green Day would be a worthy album and Bob Dylan’s Modern Times.  I think Dylan’s legacy won’t really hit for another 15 years.  Modern Times will have a re-birth.  And I, singlehandedly, have probably sold more copies of the Modern Times record than anybody else.  I mean, before a CAL show, I have that album playing.  And I just stand at the sound board and wait.  It only takes till the second song, Spirit of the Water, before somebody comes over to ask me, “Who is this?  What album is this?”

So why hasn’t CAL covered a Dylan record yet?

Oh I don’t know, but I do want to go on record as saying, “I sold more copies of Modern Times for Bob Dylan than anyone else” (laughs)

Dylan may even come to a show if you did one of his records.  He comes here often.  I mean, he’s even played the Phoenix.  I think you should do Infidels.

I’m more a Free Wheelin’ type of guy, but Highway 61 would be the album.  It’s never been played properly with that jangling guitar.  That’s the one we’d do, for sure.

It’s very exciting to be playing Massey Hall, not only for the series, but for the city of Toronto and it’s community of Beatle fans.

Massey Hall is good.  And it’s the CAL musicians who will make the Abbey Road anniversary special.  They are the world’s best musicians.

Are all the musicians involved with the Massey Hall show Canadian?

No, I have a few musicians flying in from the States, a couple of horn players and a string player.  But out of the 17 musicians involved, 14 are Canadian.

Sept 26th will be a very special night for everyone.  Now, I wonder where I can find Paul McCartney’s direct contact information…

Classic Albums Live official website

http://www.classicalbumslive.com/

For tickets to the Abbey Road show at Massey Hall

http://www.masseyhall.com/home.cfm

Hundred Days with support from Psalms
19-08-2009 The Rifleman’s Glastonbury

It was with great anticipation and excitement that I made the short journey across to the Rifleman’s in Glastonbury on a warm Wednesday night.

Headlining the gig tonight was Yeovil based rock band Hundred Days. After hearing plenty about them, I had not had the opportunity to see them live.

The support for the evening was Bath based band Psalms, who were unknown to me. After grabbing a quick pint I made it in just in time to watch them kick off a set that blew me away.

With a lead Vocalist/Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer, and Keyboard player, they had a unconventional line up, but they have a unconventional sound. Labeling them as a simple Dance/Rock band would be unfair, as they have elements in their music from a variety of genres, including a tip of the cap to pioneers of Prog Rock Yes and Pink Floyd, along with bursts of Heavy Metal and full on Prodigy-esque hard dance. These guys certainly have great potential, especially with standout track ‘Easy’, which had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. Watch out for Psalms, they are going make a big dent in the industry.

As the Rifleman’s fill up with people, Hundred Days front man Stuart Curtin asks the crowd if we “are ready to rock“, the answer is a unanimous yes as the 3 piece storm into ‘Blackheart’ from their debut album, which kicks off with a riff Led Zeppelin would have been proud of, and proceeds to send the crowd into spontaneous head banging. Hundred Days keep up the pace with the immensely catchy ‘No Better’, and a excellent cover of ‘Hysteria’ by Muse. Slower tracks ‘Broken in hell’, and ‘Suicide Joe’ still have a certain charm about them, the latter to be featured on the forthcoming album. After a sweaty set of almost a hour, it was clear to see here was a band that thoroughly enjoy playing live, and their energy and enthusiasm rubs off on you.

In Stuart Curtin they have a great front man whose live voice was impeccable. Add in a great rhythm section of drummer Ryan Leese and Bassist Simon Evans, and they have the perfect mix.

I am surprised Hundred Days are not signed to a label, as they have the stage presence, the song writing ability, and the talent to go all the way. I for one certainly hope they get there.

www.myspace.com/thehundreddaysrock

www.myspcae.com/psalmsbath

Aaron Phillips

New Roots at the Trinity Centre in Bristol, UK.

Ten Ton Tongue www.myspace.com/10tontongue

10 Ton Tongue put on one high-output performance, which has been described variously as ‘Neo Victorian Forest Grunge’ and a ‘Gothic folk circus with boots on…’ The music is a theatrical rampage. Ridiculously dexterous guitar work, steeped in migrating flamenco and suffering blues, is backed with heavy riddling rhythms and fronted with intense 10 Ton Tongue-twisting lyrics. Think Rodrigo y Gabriela meeting System of a Down, delivered with a kiss on the cheek. It is a dizzying performance that leaves you nowhere to hide. Described by Venue magazine as ‘…all gilded flamenco flourishes and lunging crescendos. Impassioned performance, passionately received.’

Vamos www.myspace.com/vamosband

Are a band with an international selection of members, with Spanish, English and French roots born as a need to give happiness, movement and love to people. They just want audience to have a good time and do so by playing easy to listen, cheeky, fast rhythmic songs with positive viewing lyrics…for the big and small! Just want to give good times to all, folk, rocky, rumba, Latin and also some romance!!

The Dirty Roger www.myspace.com/thedirtyroger

The Dirty Roger is mostly Mr D. Roger who would prefer it if The Dirty Roger was just himself. However he is glad to say that The Dirty Roger is himself and reluctantly, Mr Von Scrotum, Mr P. Spit and Mr John. If Mr. D Roger had 8 arms, 4 brains and 40 fingers it could just be himself, but it’s cannot be. So to introduce the band as follows:

Mr D. Roger is responsible for writing all tracks including samples, rock riffery, beats, structure and lyrics.

Mr Von Scrotum accurately triggers all samples to my timing and plays keyboard to Mr. Roger’s taste and tempo.

Mr P. Spit picks, bends and strums a 6 string electrical guitar and slams the big muff to order. Also introducing Mr John as the stick-wielding drummer that has to put up with Mr D Roger.

Zen Elephant www.myspace.com/zenelephant

Zen Elephants are a lively quartet which draws its distinctive style from an array of genres. A blend of folk and reggae acoustic guitars with funked-up bass lines, pumping beats and thoughtful words; they create a groove-laden sound which guarantees elevating live performances.

Chandelier Falls www.myspace.com/chandelierfalls

The Chandelier Falls are an alternative- acoustic band that blends three part harmonies with guitar riffs that conjure feelings deep down Chandelier Falls live performances are simultaneously discomforting and reassuring. Ian Skriczka’s clear falsetto and Vincent Callan’s feral vocals are perfectly anchored by Sarah Corfield’s feminine yet powerful harmonies. Stripping back the arrangements also leaves the audience in no doubt of what’s at the heart of their lyrics. Formed in October 2008, Vincent, Ian and Sarah met on Bristol’s open-mic circuit and where soon playing regular sets across Bristol, Liverpool and Bath. They have played numerous gigs including support slots with The Bomberdiers, Six Figures and also at Trinity Garden Party. “Chandelier Falls were at home right away with a stunning set, showing off their unique vocal structure to full effect.” Unlike many of their contemporaries, Chandelier Falls’ discomforting and uplifting sound has its roots firmly planted in alternative rock, The band all come from eclectic musical backgrounds ranging from alt-metal to musical theatre but their mutual influences include The Frames, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannangen, Stereophonics, and Turin Brakes.

Celebrating the Bristol sound: a night of Bristol bands who popularize the traditional musical styles of their influences and ancestors. They have a mixture of styles for you including Blues/Electronic, folk, alternative folk/rock, and acoustic afro-beat and now with the established Trinity shenanigans of entertainment and visuals and an atmosphere that’s complimentary to the summer season.

I am really looking forwards to attending this event, it is going to be a great selection of styles which all help to shape modern music and Rock’n’Roll, and recommend that you do come along to enjoy it also, if at all possible please be there.

Intense Nick.

Tickets £6/£5 concs from Bristol ticket shop (0117 929008)

The Trinity Centre

Trinity Road

Bristol. BS2 0NW

Tickets available from
www.bristolticketshop.co.uk

Contact the Trinity Centre via
www.3ca.org.uk

Or if you fancy playing here, Email mp3’s and a bio about you and/or your band to
gigs@3ca.org.uk

Tractor were first on stage, a band from Bristol who kick out a their own style of noise Rock. They played a fairly short but kick-ass set. All three acts had to clear the band room fairly early, but all three bands made for this with the content of the sets.

Alabaster Suns from London played next and thrashed out an excellent set of their brand of concrete/industrial Rock. Again a short set but mind blowingly magnificent. They have a debut CD named ‘Alabaster Suns’ which has received glowing reviews from Kerrang, who gave it a rating of 4/5 and from Rocksound who awarded it 7/10. Their sound is brutally heavy oozing with deep bass lines, frantically rampant drum rolls and rhythms that make their style roll all over the place with riotously raunchy guitar chords, riffs and licks completing the package perfectly with the such strong vocals to make the sound heavy as you like. Check them Out at http://www.myspace.com/alabastersuns or their main site http//www.iron-pig.com

After another short interlude Taint came onto the stage and played about six tunes, most of which were new to me as sadly I do not have much of their material as yet. This was the second time I had seen them play and their sets are magnificent, Their unique sound journeys through elements of sludge, modern metal, punk, doom, and stoner Rock. They formed in 1994 as teenagers in the South Wales DIY punk/metal scene, yet are to some degree children of classic rock. They produced a string of demos, compilation features, and split releases over eleven years honouring the British rock underground until their much anticipated first full length album was released in 2005, called ‘the Ruin of nova Roma‘. As a band, Taint have never limited themselves to the influences of their DIY contemporaries but are more inclusive and broad in their tastes and style. In this sense neither are they an amalgamation of the many influences and bands they have toured with. They have skillfully developed a very individual changeable style despite taking many characteristics on board with open minds. Taint are often labeled with the tag of ‘Stoner Rock’ and this mostly suits, it is genuinely difficult to comfortably slot their unpredictable “moving pieces of art” into any specific genre. Aggressive, fast, sludgy, riff-laden, , fierce, brutal, contemplative and melodic are all words that have been used to accurately describe their music in terms of movement and progression throughout. Perhaps non-commercial, certainly involving and diverse, Taint have taken their punk-based riffs to a new level of intensity that successfully carry, emote and intrigue and excite. As Rocksound magazine so accurately pointed out in their album of the month review about ‘Secrets & Lies’ Taint are a and that is keeping British Rock on the worldwide map and it makes me proud to be able to highlight them here.

A personal crisis landed just after this gig, stopping all me in my tracks in all that I do. Then I saw that Taint were playing again at The Croft, Bristol UK, www.the-croft.com so I just had to go and experience the next musical slaying that Taint were promising through their myspace page, check them out at http://www.myspace.com/taintuk or www.taint.co.uk

I just had to return one month later for more, not only for Taint but also to see a new band to me, Kylesa.

I had seen Kylesa on the setlist in Taints myspace blog and checked their myspace page, and liked what I found so much that I was already smitten by their sound and keen to see them.

When I arrived I found that an act called Big Naturals was also on the list, they opened the evening and got it all going in fine style as I was escorted in as a guest by the very gracious and friendly Jimbob who fronts Taint, thank you so much Jimbob, my first ‘almost famous’ experience.

Getting back to the Big Naturals who are a experimental psychedelic
Rock outfit who sometimes play as a two piece outfit and others as a three piece. On this occasion they played as a two piece outfit and blasted out an impressive instrumental set of wildly rolling and inventive drum rythyms being beaten out of a relatively small kit accompanied by the bass player who works those strings so hard and creatively to make such a great deeply solid and heavy rolling and driving sounds cape, this band are not to be missed, check them out at
http://www.myspace.com/bignaturalsrock

Another short break for a smoke and a drink outside on the pavement due to our new smoking regulations in the UK and Taint are up on stage blasting out their own self styled fusion of hardcore Rock and Metal delivered with a feel of punk to it, thanks to the joyful ferocity of the delivery and the intensity of drive that Jimbob, Chris and Alex all put into their work.

The set was about 40-45 minutes in duration and as ever once again that great sound of theirs grips you by the ears before it kicks you in the guts, I love it. I have been blasting their sound out an awful lot recently, I don’t just like it, I need it.

They have been around since 1994 as mentioned so it is no surprise that the two albums they have out have so much skill and experience condensed within them and also the overall sound and style of Taint is so dynamic. Jimbob, Chris and Alex work so well together that they are a cataclysmic formula, Jimbob is the most full on vocalist that I have ever seen, Chris on the five string bass that he works like a demon and assists with the vocals making a great double act in this respect. Taint have an excellent website www.taint.co.uk if you go here and onto the media section you can get four free downloads, each off of a different CD release -

Taint – ‘Hex Breaker‘ mp3 (taken from ‘Secrets And Lies’ Rise Above Records)

Taint – ‘Poison Pen Attack!’ mp3 (taken from ‘The Ruin Of Nova Roma’, Rise Above Records)

Taint – ‘Chevy Chase’ mp3 (taken from the Taint/Black Eye Riot split album, Black Pheonix Records)

Taint – ‘No One’s Saviour’ mp3 (taken from ‘Die Die Truthspeaker’ mini-album, Household Name Records)

If you check these tunes out you will hear why I am so taken by this excellent three piece, they also have a video section where thy are showing Taint at Earls Court – Give It A Name ‘ from 2006.

I arrived at this gig with a head full of personal demons which I had been quelling by listening to ‘Hex Breaker’ and the other three songs on the above list,’ Hex Breaker’ being my aptly titled favourite worked perfectly. The live set finished the process off and then a band unknown to me came on to top the bill, Kylesa.

Kylesa are brilliant and have a stupendously big sound with two drummers working in perfect syncope with one another, Eric and Carl being the stick wizards.

Phillip and Laura provide guitar and vocals in a fine combination of hard rocking styles, which blend beautifully.

These are plied in a way to create a sound so rich and colourful that it is unmistakable. Corey is the bass maestro providing a flamboyant backbone to Kylesa’s soundscape, with the occasional ‘Townsend’ style leap into the air while firing out bass chords in true Rock style.

It is so uniquely heavy with two drummers and all the outstanding guitar work melding together and being topped with two perfect vocal styles. If the term ‘warriors of Genghis Khan’ were to be applied to music, then Kylesa would be Genghis’s chosen few. Check Kylesa out at www.myspace.com/kylesa or www.kylesa.com

Ever since I attended my first Taiko drumming workshop I have dreamed about Rock bands with Taiko drum backing, Kylesa are the answer to this, they drive out their psychedelic rock/metal in a truly mesmerizing shamanic fashion that I am looking forwards to hearing much more of.